The present invention relates to a teat cup assembly with a valve arrangement, and which is adapted for use with a milking machine.
Known are teat cups composed of a teat receptacle having an inlet opening and which is defined by an elastic teat sleeve. The teat receptacle is arranged in a teat cup casing which forms a pulsating chamber therebetween. Below the teat receptacle, an outlet is provided for connection to a milking line. The pulsating chamber connects via an inlet to a pulsator, whereby the teat receptacle sequentially exerts a force on a teat, when the teat is positioned in the teat receptacle. Within the teat cup assembly, a vacuum is generated via the milking line, which causes the milk emerging from the teat to be sucked out.
A teat cup of the above type is disclosed in EP 0 088 580. This teat cup also comprises a spherical closing body, which shuts off the outlet to the milking line. However, it is possible to shut off the outlet at the end of the milking process only when atmospheric air is manually admitted at the head of the elastic teat sleeve. The air that is temporarily admitted after each milking operation leads to undesired vacuum fluctuations and milk turbulences in the milking line.
DE 43 15 665 A1 discloses a teat cup assembly with a teat receptacle having an inlet opening and which is defined by an elastic teat sleeve, a teat cup casing which accommodates the teat sleeve while forming a pulsating chamber, and an outlet connecting to a milking line. Below the teat receptacle, the teat cup assembly is provided with a valve arrangement, which closes the flow passage in a closed position and opens same in an open position. To actuate the valve arrangement, an actuating element is provided on the teat cup casing.
EP 0 566 977 B1 discloses a teat cup assembly which comprises a valve arrangement in the flow passage below the teat receptacle. The valve arrangement includes a valve body provided in a valve chamber. This valve body closes the flow passage in a closed position and opens same in an open position. In the open position, the valve arrangement is opened downward by manual actuation of the teat cup. EP 0 566 977 B1 further suggests that an actuation of the valve arrangement can also be realized by a lateral movement of the teat cup.
During the removal of the teat cup assembly by a lateral movement of the teat cup, the teat that is still under a milking vacuum, is subjected to physical stress. Furthermore, the operability is dependent on the quality, in particular the stiffness of the continuing milk line, since same must absorb the counteracting force of the teat cup, so that it is possible to open or close the valve.
Based on the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to further develop a teat cup assembly such that opening or closing of the flow passage is simplified by the valve arrangement. A further object of the invention is to design and construct the teat cup assembly such that the valve body automatically reaches its closed position, when the teat cup assembly is removed from the teat during a still ongoing milking operation.